Interview suggestions from A to Z.

post and read interview feedback from your medical school visit.

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Interview suggestions from A to Z.

Post by simpsons »

PS: I will be updating this post if/when I need to add more info. Any suggestions welcome.

First and foremost thing to remember during the interview is to relax and focus while maintaining a decent posture.

As drn said, you need to know your app inside out including anything you have not mentioned in the app but wish to address during the interview (Hint: Possible interview question!).

Another important thing drn mentioned is to practice. Call your buddies for mock interviews. Call your school’s Career Services Office, your premed advisor, your research supervisor, any experienced in family, whatever can get you in the mood to interact with others. If the person sitting in front of you doesn’t know anything, give them this list and ask them to pick a question.

Maintain eye contact and a decent posture. What you say AND how you say, both affect your performance.

Interviewers write an analysis/evaluation on you usually right after you leave. So give them something strong to remember about you. Sometimes multiple interviews will hinder the ability of the interviewer to recall the conversations. In such a case having strong/interesting aspects about your app or your life in general will prove extremely helpful.

Remember all the volunteering and/or research you have done? This is where you will discuss it! Open file interviewers have your entire app, so they don’t want to ask you abt your grades. They will ask you about your research/volunteering. Details on these will help you keep your conversation going and time will fly.

You will need atleast THREE points/attractions/appeals about you that you want to convey to your interviewers. (For example, you have worked 40 hrs a week during undergrad years as a postman! You have spent a great deal of your life in a foreign country and understand how the needs of diverse communities differ widely. You were diagnosed with XYZ and took you x no. of years to recover completely; while you were being treated you were able to understand the rigors of medical profession.) Make sure one of these three points/attractions is unique to you and as I said earlier it will help the interviewer “remember” you. You may refer to any ONE of these three points during your replies to the interviewer’s questions, but beware, do not alter your responses just to include on of these. You can individually state them as a response to “Tell me about yourself” or “Why should we accept you and not 5000 other applicants”

Your attire is your first impression on others. Here are some recommendations.
• Solid color, conservative suit
• Coordinated blouse
• Moderate shoes
• Limited jewelry
• Neat, professional hairstyle
• Tan or light hosiery
• Sparse make-up & perfume
• Manicured nails
• Portfolio or briefcase
• Solid color, conservative suit
• White long sleeve shirt
• Conservative tie, not too flashy patterns.
• Dark socks, professional and comfortable shoes
• Extremely limited or preferably no jewelry
• Neat, professional hairstyle, this includes beard and mustache
• Go easy on the aftershave, buy a nice cologne like Aqua Di Gio, Curve, Givenchy Pie etc
• Neatly trimmed nails
• Portfolio or briefcase. Take a copy of any abstract/paper you might have published/worked on.

Remember that you have already made the cut. You can now make or break your situation. Go with the attitude that you belong to that med school. You are atleast, if not over, qualified to go to this med school. Studies in psychology have shown that imagining/ thinking/seeing the end result or reward( in your case acceptance) can significantly motivate the individual by giving him better self-evaluative judgements. (Bandura and Cervone, 1983. Self-evaluative and self efficacy mechanisms governing the motivational effects of goal systems. Journal of personality and social psychology. 45 1017-1028. I never plagiarize!) This means that thinking of an acceptance letter will reinforce your motivation and help you present yourself better.

Now to the questions.

Basically, open-ended questions are designed to assess the interviewee's (1) knowledge and information, (2) mental organization, (3) ability to express and defend opinions and positions, and (4) personality.
2. Why do you want to be a doctor? (Give several key points in summary form). Replace very general responses like "I want to help people" with more specific intentions.
3. Why should we choose you?
4. I note that you did not perform well on the (section of the MCAT). Explain why you are weak in this area.
5. Why did you apply to this medical school?
6. What are your positive and negative qualities? (Pick one or two of your strengths and at least one of your weaknesses, but be sure you pick a weakness that you have recognized earlier, have improved upon, and indicate how you have done so.)
7. If you were to do anything differently in your preparation for medical school, what would that be?
8. What do you see yourself doing in ten or fifteen years from now? (Include personal goals and professional goals. You may specify a general area of interest but qualify your specific interests in medical specialties by acknowledging you have yet to experience the range of opportunities in medicine. Do indicate your interests in the general environment where you intend to practice, such as small town, large city, and region of the country. This question encompasses the next two more specific questions.)
9. Where do you plan to practice?
10. What field of medicine are you interested in? What branch of medicine most interests you?
11. What other health care professions have you considered and why did you select medicine?
12. What most recent advances in medicine have occurred that you believe will have the greatest impact on how you will practice medicine?
13. Who are your heroes and why?
14. I see you got a "C" in (an undergraduate course). Why was that course so difficult? Explain.
15. What is your concept of the doctor/patient relationship?
16. Why do you want to come here? (Be sure to have reasons that involve the unique qualities of the school. Mention also some personal reasons if these are applicable.)
17. What makes you a better applicant than others?
18. Is this school your first choice?
19. What role have your parents played in your decision to become a physician?
20. What is going on in your life?
21. Tell me what you know it is to be a physician?
22. What makes you happy?
23. I see that you have had a research experience in college. What have you leaned about that process?
24. Let us say that you are rejected for admission into all medical schools to which you have applied. What would be your second career option?
25. Who are your role models?
26. What are your goals in medicine?
27. What causes your greatest frustrations in life?
28. What kinds of experiences have you had in the medical field?
29. List several qualities that you feel are the most important in being a good physician.
30. List several qualities that you feel are the most important in being a good medical school student.
31. What other medical schools have you applied to and why? (Be honest)
32. Which primary care area of medicine would be the greatest interest to you?
33. What do you believe in?
34. What do you care about? How does that caring express itself?
35. What concerns you about medicine?
36. What is your concept of the biopsychosocial model of medicine?
37. Tell me what you know it is to be a physician.
38. Who was your greatest source of inspiration in deciding to pursue medicine?
39. What aspects of medicine draw you to this profession?
40. What haven't we talked about?
41. Do you have any questions to ask me? (You must have questions at this point, but engage the interviewer as much as possible by having questions about his attitude or opinion of the school.)
Ethical Questions:
42. There is a host of specific issues that may be brought up in this category: determinations of death, the right to die, care of the elderly, patient privacy, children's and parent's rights, care of the mentally handicapped, rights of the handicapped, rights of the physically handicapped, rights of the terminally ill, rights of defective newborns, abortion rights, religious rights to reject certain medical procedures, experimental treatments, etc. You should plan what considerations or what positions you have on these issues.
43. What do you think of affirmative action?
44. What are your thoughts on euthanasia?
45. A pregnant 15-year-old unmarried teenager comes into your office asking for an abortion. What would you do? Would you inform her parents?
46. You observe a fellow medical student cheating on an examination. What would you do?
47. How would you tell a patient just diagnosed with cancer that he has only a few weeks to live?
48. A 14-year-old gay and promiscuous male comes to you to be treated for a STD. During the conversation he mentions that he has been tested for HIV several times and would like to be tested again to see if he is still uninfected. How would you handle this situation?
49. What is the difference between an HMO and a PPO? Which system do you prefer and why?
50. How would you express your concern for a child who needs an amputation?
51. During a routine physical examination of a 10-year-old girl you discover unmistakable evidence that she has been physically and sexually abused over a period of time. Both her parents are in the waiting room. How would you respond to this situation?
52. You have two patients who have been admitted after a serious accident. Both require immediate attention in order to survive. One patient is 20 years old; the other is 60 years old. Which life would you save?
Social Questions:
53. Do you think that doctors are being paid too much or too little? Why?
54. How do you feel about the new HIPPA regulations?
55. How would you go about improving access to health care in this country?
56. What are your views on the latest changes to the Medicare program?
57. Do physicians have the right to deny care to patients on Medicaid?
58. What are your views on alternative medicine?
59. What have you recently read in the press about health care?
60. List three issues that confront medicine today. Of the three, which is the most important and why?
61. What do you think should be done to control health care costs in this country?
62. What are your thoughts on capitation?
63. I see that you have had considerable volunteer experriences. What have you learned from those experiences?
Interests, Maturity, and Performance:
64. What is the last book you read?
65. Describe an experience you had helping others.
66. Who are your senators, congressmen, and governor?
67. What would you do next year if you don't get accepted into medical school?
68. What is the difference between sympathy and empathy?
69. Who was the best teacher you have had and why?
70. What qualities would you look for in a doctor?
71. Describe an experience you have had in which you were misjudged. What were your responses?
72. How did you go about investigating a career in medicine?
73. What person, living or dead, would you most like to meet?
74. What is the greatest obstacle you have had to overcome?
76. How would the person who knows you the best describe you?
77. Which science (or non-science) class did you enjoy the most and why?
78. Describe the most unusual event in your life.
79. Have you ever written or sent a letter to a political representative in which you have expressed your views on a subject?
80. If you could be any type of cell in the human body, which type of cell would you choose and why?
81. What do you do in your spare time?
82. How well do you feel you function under pressure?
83. How do you relax?
84. What are your hobbies? Do you plan to continue your hobbies while in medical school?
85. What was the last movie you saw? What did you think about it?
86. You are granted any three wishes by a genie. What would your wishes be?
87. You are stranded on a desert island. What one book would you want to have with you?
88. Who do you admire most in your life and why?
89. Give an example of an occasion when you used logic to solve a problem.
91. Describe a decision you made that was unpopular and how you handled implementing it.
94. Have you had to convince a team to work on a project they weren't thrilled about? How did you do it?
95. Have you handled a difficult situation with a co-worker? How?
96. Tell me about how you worked effectively under pressure.
97. Did anyone you know influence your choice of career?
98. Do you have family members who are doctors? What do they think of the field? How has their lives changed over the past few years with the changes in medicine? Do you want to follow in their footsteps? (be careful with this one. This question may be a disguised way to ask you "what specialty you are interested in?" In answering this type of questions, you should keep in mind that many medical schools are having a push towards primary care. This does not mean that you should be dishonest and lie about what you want to do. Always say the truth. If you are uncertain about what you will want to do, say the truth: I am not certain which field of medicine I will be best suited for; I hope to find the answer during my clinical rotations!)
99. Which field of medicine are you interested in? Again, keep in mind that many schools have been pressured into graduating more students interested in primary care specialties!
100. What kind of experiences do you have in the medical field? This is an excellent opportunity to discuss some of the strong points in your application. Keep in mind that some interviewers do not have time to read all of your submitted information (but some will read everything in detail and will ask you questions to double check some of your statements!)
101. Where do you plan to practice? If you are a foreign student, stating that you want to return to your country will unquestionably count against you. The state/federal government (depending on the school you are applying to) is partly funding your medical education. Certain programs will prefer to train physicians who will work in the undeserved areas of the country.
102. What are your goals in medicine? Answer this one in a similar fashion to why you want to be a doctor.
103. Where do you see yourself in 15 years? (what specialty will you be in/ where do you plan to practice) are all the same questions!
104. Would you go to our program if I gave you an acceptance letter now?-- You need to be both enthusiastic as well as practical in answering this question. My approach would probably be to say that I love their program. However, I can not make a final decision until I have completed all my interviews. I have shown my interest in their program; I have also shown a practical approach in dealing with difficult issues. I am not rushing into making such a significant decision in my life.
105. Why should we choose you? Discuss you strengths. Relate your strengths to those of the program. --I love doing research. I was involved with qtl analysis of osteosarcomas, and I can see that your institution is interested in genetics of cancer development.
106. What other programs have you applied to? Why? Would you prefer to stay on the East or West Coast? --list the programs for them. Usually they are trying to see if you are practical enough to have applied to back up programs in case you fail to enter an elite program.
107. You have lived in Hawaii for the past 20 years; why would you consider moving to NY now for medical school?
108. Our school is now looking for a new dean (a new hospital or any other issues with an uncertain future). Does that concern you? Why? Why not?
109. Why do you want to be a doctor?
110. What do you do in your spare time?
111. What are your specific goals in medicine?
112. What stimulated your interest in medicine?
113. What do you think about HMO’s and the changes taking place in medicine?
114. What schools have you applied to?
115. What do you intend to gain from a medical education?
116. What do you think about euthanasia?
117. Why do you think so many people want to be doctors?
119. There are 1,000 applicants as qualified as you. Why should we pick you?
120. What steps have you taken to acquaint yourself with what a physician does?
121. How would your plans differ if you knew that all physicians would be working in HMO’s in the future?
122. What do you think is the most pressing issue in medicine today?
123. What will you do if you don’t get into medical school?
124. What are your positive qualities and what are your shortcomings?
125. What is your relationship with your family?
127. Describe your personality.
128. What do you have to offer our school?
129. What are the best and worst things that have ever happened to you?
130. What do you see yourself doing in medicine 10-15 years from now?
131. Is medicine a rewarding experience? Why?
132. Would you practice in the inner city? What do you think happens to people who practice medicine there (attitude changes, etc.)?
134. What aspects of your life’s experiences do you think make you a good candidate for medical school?
135. If your best friends were asked to describe you, what would they say?
136. How do you plan to finance your medical education?
137. What do you think about (…some current event)?
138. Discuss a book that you have recently read for pleasure. Why does this book interest you?
139. What is the most disinteresting science class you have taken?
140. What is the most interesting non science class you have taken?
141. What are the most significant advancements in medicine?

Good Luck doctors!

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Post by Adminnaoum »

Holy Moly!

That is a post!


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Post by joker200 »

great post, but remember guys you'll probably be asked from 5-10 questions, especially since the questions they ask you will be substance oriented and require time and the interview is only a small time frame...

an interview i just had lasted like 30 minutes and i was asked about 8-10 questions, but they were in depth and took time to answer not just spit out like a machine...

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Post by OlufunshoBY »

and some other interview last longer depending on how you r able to carry along your interviewer. my first interview lasted 50mins and it seems like eternity while the other lasted the same period but seem so short.

good luck to all.

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Post by Jzeidenb »

one of my interviewers specifically told me dont bother sending a thank you note, and i told her at the end, ill give you my thank you right now and she said thank you i appriciate that, thats all you need to do

should i still send a thank you card to my other interviewer and the third student interviewer?

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